Dressed in her racing outfit, the elegant and composed blue-haired uma musume stood at the locker room door and called back to her two younger sisters: "I'll be back before you know it."
Takao Shuneichi wore a look of bewilderment. "Nee-san, I still don't understand why you're entering this race."
Kiwami didn't turn around. She simply said, "You don't need to understand. Just watch me from the stands."
Beside her, Kyoei cheered: "Good luck, Nee-sama~!"
"Mm. I'm going to win this."
Even if only to set an example for her sisters — she had to win.
Kiwami thought back to her younger sister coming home after that race, muttering over and over: "That kind of monster... how am I in the same generation as a monster like that..."
Shuneichi had lost the courage to face a powerful opponent. She'd forgotten why they ran in the first place.
So Kiwami, as the eldest, would give her a reminder.
Even if people thought she was bullying a newcomer — she didn't care. She would dedicate this victory to her beloved little sister.
(I'm sorry, kouhai. But this race? I'm winning it no matter what.)
Kiwami walked through the competitor tunnel toward the track.
"Next up, entering at number-one popularity — Kiwami!"
"As expected of the Mile Queen — she's edged out the newcomer Kitasan Black in the popularity rankings."
"Kiwami is an immensely powerful competitor, and today's race is on her best track at her best distance. We're excited to see what the Mile Queen can do!"
"Indeed. I'm sure today's field will treat us to quite the spectacle."
The commentator and host went back and forth profiling Kiwami. Her win record might've looked modest on paper, but that wasn't because she lacked talent — her generation's competition had simply been that brutal. With Gentildonna and Orfevre bearing down on everyone like twin mountains, there wasn't much oxygen left for anyone else.
Kiwami was comfortably the best racer below those two, which was why she'd managed to hold onto first place in popularity despite Kitasan Black's surging momentum. But that alone spoke volumes about how terrifying Kitasan Black's popularity had become — even a proven veteran like Kiwami had nearly lost the top spot to her. Every other racer of the same generation had already been eclipsed.
That's right.
Kitasan Black, a pure newcomer with only two races to her name including her debut, had charged into a skip-grade event and seized second place in the popularity rankings.
The gap between her and Kiwami was less than a thousand points, and the cheers for Kitasan Black in the venue were audibly louder than for anyone else.
GII — the Mainichi Okan. Venue: Tokyo Racecourse. Distance: 1800 meters, a mile race.
This was the distance where Kiwami, the so-called Mile Queen, reigned supreme — and this very racecourse was where she'd claimed her first GI victory. Even if Gentildonna herself showed up, Kiwami was confident she could take her rival down on this track.
Perhaps that home-field advantage was exactly why her popularity still edged out Kitasan Black's, whose numbers were otherwise exploding upward.
Interestingly, Kiwami was also a front-runner.
But popularity was merely the entry standard. While it served as a rough gauge of strength, it was far from a direct measure. Kitasan Black certainly couldn't care less about popularity rankings.
Because she knew one thing and one thing only: if she was in the race, she was winning it.
She didn't have any particular obsession with victory. But having inherited the power of those who came before her, she would not lose to anyone in this world.
She herself might be nothing — a fraud with no glory of her own. But the strength of her predecessors was a radiance beyond compare.
Having inherited that radiance, losing was not an option.
"All right, before the race begins, let's take one more look at our field."
The commentator gave a quick overview for the audience. Fifteen runners today.
Kitasan Black's draw wasn't great — she'd pulled gate two, the innermost position, only marginally better than gate one. Rotten luck, as usual.
The opening straightaway was absurdly short, less than a hundred meters before the first turn. For a track like this, the outside gates had the real advantage. But Kitasan Black's luck was simply cursed.
Not that she cared.
Only the weak were toyed with by luck. The strong conquered even fortune itself.
Kiwami, meanwhile, had drawn gate ten — a solid position.
Kitasan Black didn't exchange pleasantries with any of the other runners. She stepped into her gate immediately.
There was nothing to discuss with opponents. She'd never believed in that pretty little saying about friendship first, competition second.
In a race, there was only the absolute victor. Everyone else was a loser.
She deeply agreed with McQueen-senpai's racing philosophy: don't look at your opponents, don't worry about their condition. Focus entirely on your own race — and win.
"The runners are loading into the gates. Kitasan Black's condition looks excellent — no sign of nerves despite the skip-grade entry."
"Kiwami has entered her gate as well. The Mile Queen looks perfectly composed, as though she feels no pressure at all."
"The countdown has begun."
Gates closed. Signal lights began to flash. All runners at the ready.
The roaring venue fell silent in an instant.
Up in the stands, Gentildonna and Orfevre watched from separate vantage points.
BANG!
The gates flew open.
This was nothing like a debut-level race.
The instant the gates opened, skill auras erupted everywhere — golds, and even prismatic flashes among them.
But that prismatic glow? It was coming from an unexpected place.
It was coming from Kitasan Black.
[Imperial Dance (Flash)]:Footwork becomes more dazzling, breakthrough ability enhanced. Minor boosts to acceleration and speed.
Facing opponents who instinctively tried to box her in, Kitasan Black opted for a different approach this time. These weren't inexperienced newcomers — they were seasoned veterans whose willpower wouldn't break easily. The Demon King-senpai's techniques wouldn't work as well here.
Gold Ship's skills were designed to synergize with her ZONE, after all, and Kitasan Black hadn't entered ZONE yet.
ZONE wasn't something you could activate just because you were strong enough. Without the right conviction, the door simply wouldn't open.
Kitasan Black didn't possess that all-consuming obsession with personal victory. She hated losing, yes — but only because she couldn't bear the thought of disgracing the power her predecessors had entrusted to her. That level of resolve alone wasn't enough to enter ZONE.
To unlock ZONE, you needed to find a drive for victory that was purely, entirely your own.
But even without ZONE, it didn't matter. There was no rule that said you couldn't beat ZONE without entering it yourself. If the conventional wisdom said otherwise, then she'd be the one to shatter that convention.
Those Flash-tier steps were as dazzling as their name implied — a dance of pure elegance.
A phantom silhouette seemed to materialize over Kitasan Black, one arm raised skyward. In the next instant, she cut through the pack like a bolt of lightning.
"Incredible! In her very first race at this level, Kitasan Black has used a spectacular burst to seize the lead!"
"That footwork... it looks remarkably similar to Tokai Teio's running style."
Up in the stands, Tokai Teio's eyes went wide.
Wait — that's my Imperial Dance!
It wasn't just similar. That was her Imperial Dance.
Her teammates couldn't help but turn to stare at her, because they knew that technique inside and out.
"Teio, be honest — did you secretly teach that newcomer your special move?"
"As if! You can't fully pass on a skill at this tier anyway! I want to know what's going on just as much as you do!"
Teio could barely believe what she was seeing. Flash-tier skills were essentially unique to each uma musume. Others could learn to imitate them, sure, but at a reduced tier and diminished effect. So this couldn't possibly be a taught skill — Flash skills simply couldn't be perfectly transferred.
On the track, the other competitors stared at Kitasan Black with wide eyes as she unveiled yet another new running technique.
Impossible!
They'd steeled themselves to get boxed in at the gate. But who was going to explain this? A brand-new Flash skill — and a breakthrough-type acceleration skill at that?!
Once Kitasan Black reached the front, she surveyed the empty track ahead — and her legs exploded into full power.
Everything she had. Maximum output.
Her horseshoes tore through the turf. With a concussive burst of air, her figure shot away from the field in an instant.
The runners behind her felt as though the very air pressure in front of them had been obliterated by that single devastating stride.
"There it is! Kitasan Black's breakaway!"
The commentator's voice crackled with excitement. He hadn't expected that even against senior-year veterans, Kitasan Black could seize the lead from the gate and establish this kind of overwhelming rhythm.
"Based on her previous performances, once Kitasan Black locks into this pace, the rest of the field will find it extremely difficult to close the gap."
The host's analysis was measured — and accurate. This wasn't hype. Kitasan Black's prior races had demonstrated exactly this level of dominance.
The stands erupted.
Kitasan Black's fans were already popping champagne.
Not at the halfway point. Not at the final stretch. Her fans were celebrating from the starting gate.
Supporters of the other runners stared at these lunatics in disbelief. Are you people insane? The race just started!
But watching the gap continue to widen on track, those same fans began to sweat in uneasy silence.
So this is Kitasan Black's pressure.
It was overwhelming. Even as mere spectators, they could feel that terrifying force.
Like a true Tyrant.
No wonder people online had been saying the Tyrant should hand the title over to Kitasan Black. She was a front-runner, sure, but that raw power — it was something else entirely.
Watching Kitasan Black pull away, Kiwami's gaze sharpened.
(She's incredible. The pressure is like racing Donna... no — like racing Orfevre!)
But—
(The me of right now won't lose!)
Brilliant golden light pulsed outward from beneath Kiwami's feet, rippling like concentric waves across a still lake.
In the next moment, she punched through the wind wall and closed the gap on Kitasan Black.
Kitasan Black's eyes shifted slightly. She sensed the presence surging up behind her.
(The Mile Queen, huh. I suppose at your level, you'd be able to keep up with me like this.)
After all, apart from the one skill she'd used at the start, she was running on pure physicality and experience right now. Her raw stats could crush anyone below the first tier. But for someone of Kiwami's caliber, keeping pace with this baseline version of her wasn't unreasonable.
Still...
(Not enough.)
"Kiwami is closing in! The Mile Queen refuses to surrender the lead!"
"But there's still a gap!"
When the distance between them shrank to a length and a half, Kiwami hit an invisible wall. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't close any further.
(How...?!)
She couldn't detect any skill activation from Kitasan Black. Meaning this newcomer was holding her off with raw, unaided power alone?!
This kind of race dominance — it really was just like those two insufferable monsters...
No.
It was above Donna and Orfevre.
"Hehe. Kiwami's probably figured out the gap by now. That girl really is something else."
Gentildonna rested her chin elegantly on one hand.
Kiwami's strength wasn't lacking — but it was merely "not lacking." Like Gold Ship, she hadn't reached the realm of ZONE. Unlike Gold Ship, though, Kiwami might still have a chance of stepping through that door someday.
What Kiwami didn't realize was that Kitasan Black had already activated Surge and Aura.
It was precisely those two passive abilities that allowed her to maintain the gap while Kiwami's skill effects were still active.
But this contest for position ended here.
(You're strong. But I'm stronger. It's as simple as that.)
As Kiwami's skill duration expired, all she could do was watch helplessly as the distance yawned open again.
"We've passed the halfway mark! Kitasan Black has opened up an eight-length lead on second-place Kiwami! What commanding front-running — even the Mile Queen can't keep up!"
In the stands, Takao Shuneichi and Kyoei stared at the spectacle, utterly stunned.
(Nee-san...)
Before the race, no one had imagined that Kitasan Black could completely dominate the Mile Queen in her own domain.
Kitasan Black might be strong, but before today, she was still just a debut-level newcomer.
Not anymore.
The evidence was undeniable. Kitasan Black's power was the genuine article — the kind that could challenge history itself.
Kiwami watched the figure ahead pulling away into the final turn. Falling behind, her pupils trembled violently.
(At this rate... I'll lose?)
Lose at Tokyo Racecourse? At her best distance?
No!
No!
(I will NOT let it end here!)
Prismatic light shuddered outward. Multiple Flash-tier techniques activated simultaneously by sheer force of will.
Kiwami had forgotten why she'd entered this race in the first place. All that mattered now was that she absolutely, categorically refused to lose.
Not for her sisters.
She simply would not allow herself to be beaten by anyone in this domain.
A deep blue aura flickered to life around her. Almost instantaneously, Kiwami awakened to the stage of Aura.
She'd always had the raw ability. It was her mentality that had lagged behind. Gentildonna and Orfevre had crushed her fighting spirit so thoroughly that even with all the prerequisites met, she couldn't find the door.
But now, Kitasan Black had given her pressure equal to those two — and in doing so, rekindled the competitive fire she'd lost long ago.
In the stands, Gentildonna's lips curved into a vivid smile.
"Interesting."
Orfevre, on the other side of the venue, remained unmoved.
Kiwami had merely qualified. She hadn't truly entered the world of ZONE. This level of awakening interested her far less than the newcomer called Kitasan Black.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! Kiwami is closing in! Even after being pushed back nearly twelve lengths, the Mile Queen hasn't given up!"
Ten lengths!
Nine lengths!
The gap was shrinking, bit by bit!
"But can she really close it in time? There's less than 500 meters left!"
(I WILL catch her!)
The deep blue aura grew more solid by the second.
Kiwami was approaching the threshold of ZONE. Combined with her Flash skills, the distance continued to narrow.
The final 200 meters.
Five lengths still separated them.
But Kiwami's condition wasn't fading — if anything, she was getting stronger.
The close-up camera told a different story at the front, though. Kitasan Black's expression hadn't changed at all. That cold, composed face was exactly as it had been at the starting gate. Even her breathing rhythm was perfectly steady.
Kiwami, by contrast, was gasping for air, her rhythm completely shattered.
"HAAAAAAH!!!"
(Close the gap! Close it! CLOSE IT!)
Kiwami's face twisted with effort, teeth clenched until they ached.
Kitasan Black could feel the will radiating from the queen behind her. It burned — fierce and vivid.
So utterly different from her own hollow, frozen senses.
(Not bad. You really are a true uma musume.)
But even so, there was no reason for her to lose.
Skill activated.
A dreamlike silhouette descended once more.
[The Noble Mission Already Fulfilled (Flash)]:Steeled against being overtaken. Massive speed increase when being chased!
Like holy wings unfurling, Kitasan Black's figure vanished from Kiwami's sight in a heartbeat.
"Unbelievable! Kitasan Black accelerates again at this stage!"
Five lengths!
Nine lengths!
Twelve lengths!
She crossed the finish line.
"At this very moment, Kitasan Black reaches the finish! The winner is decided! The victor of this race is Kitasan Black!"
"In her first-ever skip-grade race, Kitasan Black has once again proven her strength with an overwhelming victory! Could she truly become a brand-new legend in the making?!"
...
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